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Pilot
|season = 1 |number = 01 |image = WC1x01-BurkeCaffrey.jpg |caption = Neal and Peter talking about a work-release program. |airdate = October 23, 2009 |writer = Jeff Eastin |director = Bronwen Hughes |production = WC100 |previous = None |next = }} (also known as Snow White and Her Seven Little Men) is the 1st episode of Season 1 of White Collar, the pilot and the 1st produced episode. Synopsis When con man Neal Caffrey breaks out of a maximum-security prison, FBI agent Peter Burke, who originally caught and apprehended Neal, is sent to find him. Peter finds out that he escaped to find Kate, the love of his life, and heads to Kate's apartment in Manhattan. However, he finds the con man there alone. Neal tells him that he was too late, and that Kate is gone. Faced with another four years in prison, Neal offers to help Peter catch "The Dutchman," an elusive counterfeiter that the FBI has been chasing for years. In exchange for his expertise, Neal wants to serve his new four years out of prison. Peter makes it happen, on the conditions that Neal wears a tracking anklet and that he forgets about Kate. Neal agrees to Peter's terms, and once outside, he befriends well-to-do widow June and trades in his FBI provided motel-room for her palatial Manhattan mansion. June also donates a closet full of her late husband's designer suits for Neal's use. Peter can't deny that he and the con man make a good team. After the FBI seizes a shipment of antique books headed for the Dutchman, Neal and Peter realize the counterfeiter is using antique paper from the books to forge hundreds of rare 1944 Spanish Victory bonds. With most of the real bonds rumored to have been lost forever, the Dutchman would stand to make millions. Neal's expertise pays off when his shadowy contact Mozzie helps them identify the Dutchman as Curtis Hagen. Neal and Peter pay Hagen a visit but the forger recognizes Neal and books a flight out of the country in a week's time. Another tip leads the duo to Hagen's waterfront warehouse but they still need a warrant to take him down. Meanwhile, Neal can't stop thinking about Kate. Mozzie is able to dig up information on her whereabouts, but it's not enough. And with only seven days until Hagen escapes, Neal must find a way to link the forger to the bonds, or he'll wind up back behind bars, losing Kate for good. Recap A man trims and shaves the scraggly beard he's let grow, then dons a guard's uniform he'd presumably hidden behind a toilet. Once he's done grooming himself, he leaves the "STAFF ONLY" restroom and walks past various guards and inmates. A guard inadvertently helps him escape by letting him out of the building. He is then introduced as Neal Caffrey, convicted of Bond Forgery and suspected of counterfeiting, securities fraud, art theft and racketeering. He hot-wires a truck, pops in a cassette tape, then discovers three dollars in the ash tray. He drives to the city and stops to purchase a yellow windbreaker on the sidewalk. He then travels to the airport, where several airport valet workers are also wearing identical yellow windbreakers, and pretends to be a valet to take one of the cars. The car owner asks him to take care of his car and hands Neal a hundred dollar bill. Neal thanks him, then drives the car over the bridge to Manhattan. Meanwhile, at a bank, agents are working on an operation. The technician slowly cracks open a safety deposit box, relying on a high-grade stethoscope to listen to the tumblers dropping. He finds the code to be 3-2-4 and announces that he's about to open the safe. The agent leading the operation realizes something and yells at the technician to wait, just as a soft explosion occurrs, sending dust everywhere. The agent rushes into the vault and returns with an unharmed technician, who asks what happened. The agent, now furious, berates him for wasting '10,000 man hours to get that close to The Dutchman and blowing up his evidence.' One of the other agents asked how he knew what would happen, and he tells them to look at their phones and spell out 3-2-4. The other agent reports that it spells F-B-I, and voices his realization that The Dutchman knew they were coming. The lead agent snaps at him, calls him Copernicus, and pats himself down to clean off the dust from the explosion. He discovers a red fiber on his shoulder and asks if anyone of them knew what it was. When no one offered an answer, he rhetorically asks how many of them went to Harvard, to which many raise their hands. Exasperated, he tells them to put their hands down and is clearly relieved when a woman approaches. He calls her Diana and tells her that 'their boy has a sense of humor. Diana sighs grimly, which makes the agent focus his attention on her. She then reports that 'Neal Caffrey escaped.' Walking down a hallway, she hands him a file and tells him that the US Marshals are asking for his help. When he asks why, she points out that he was 'the only one who ever caught him.' The agent is then introduced as Peter Burke, an FBI agent under the White Collar Crime Unit in New York City. He heads to the maximum security prison where Neal was held and meets Director Thompson from the US Marshals. Thompson, confirming that Peter was the agent assigned to Neal's case, asks if Neal escaping is an unusual situation, and Peter retorts, "Why would Neal run with only three months left on a four-year sentence?" Thompson tells him that they're wondering the same thing, and introduces Warden Haskley. Peter identifies him as 'the guy who dropped the ball,' to which Haskley defends himself by stating that, "Peter, of all people, should know what Neal Caffrey is capable of." Peter reminds him that he spent three years chasing him down, and that the time was wasted after Neal slipped out under Haskley's watch. Thompson cuts off their argument and reminds them that Neal has had a four-hour head start, reducing the time they had of catching up to him. Peter and Haskley follow Thompson into the prison, and Peter asks where Neal got the uniform he used. Thompson tells him that he got it from a uniform supply company on the internet, to which Peter asks if he used a credit card. Thompson shoots Haskley a dirty look, and Haskley explains that Neal used his wife's American Express. Thompson assures Peter that they're tracking the number, but Peter is sure that he won't use it again. They arrive at Neal's cell. Inside are a few sketches and paintings on the wall, piles of books on the bed, and a wall full of tally marks. Peter studies the items around, peering at the wall of tally marks Neal has made as a countdown for his freedom, and asks how Neal got the key cards to the gate. Thompson says that they think he restriped a utility card using the record head on the cassette player on the table, then walked out the front door and hotwired a maintenance truck in the parking lot. As Thompson continued to speak, Peter finds clues as to what Neal's plan of escape was, until he picks up the razor on the bed and Haskley notes that Neal shaved his beard just before he escaped. Peter, finding that odd, says aloud, "Neal doesn't have a beard." To prove him wrong, Haskley brings him to the security room and shows him the tape of a bearded Neal, explaining that the inmates are photographed every morning as they exit their cells. Peter is surprised to see that he can hardly recognize Neal with it. He asks the technician to run the images back until he finds the one where Neal's beard is barely beginning, then asks for records of everything that happened on that day. {C}He discovers that Neal's girlfriend, Kate Moreau visited him then, and pulls the security footage of their meeting. Since there is no audio of the meeting, he only manages to lipread Kate's last words, "Adios, Neal. It's been real," before she leaves a flustered and confused Neal. Upon hearing that she never visited Neal in prison after that meeting, Peter decides to go look for Kate, sure that this is what Neal escaped prison for. At an apartment complex, Neal is sitting on the floor with a wine bottle of 1891 Bordeaux in his hands. He is despondent as Peter approaches him and notes that Kate moved out before asking if she left Neal a message in the bottle. Neal tells him that 'the bottle is the message.' Peter then asks if Neal is carrying a gun, and Neal reminds him that he knows Neal doesn't like guns. Peter shares that a lot of people are asking why Neal escaped with only three months left on his sentence, and Neal reflects that Peter is the only one who figured it out. He also tells Peter that he only missed Kate by two days, to which Peter points out that it only took him a month and a half to break out of a super-max prison, and that it was 'damn impressive.' Peter then calls into his radio and tells the others that he's found Neal, unarmed. Neal asks how many were there looking for him, and Peter tells him that counting NYPD, FBI, and US Marshals, everyone's there. Peter then asks what Kate's message was to him, and Neal says that it's, "Goodbye." Peter informs Neal that he'll have to spend another four years for escaping, but Neal is too despondent and says he doesn't care. Suddenly, Neal looks up and chuckles, telling Peter that his suit is the same one he was wearing the last time he arrested Neal. He suddenly spies something on Peter's shoulder and plucks a strand off of Peter's jacket, asking him if he knew what it was. Peter doesn't know, telling Neal that he got it from his current case. Neal then offers to tell him what it is in exchange for a meeting with him in a week's time. Peter agrees, and Neal informs him that it's a security fiber for the new Canadian hundred dollar bill, and hands it back to Peter as the police enter the room and handcuff him. Later, Peter is passing through a lobby, where men, presumably Canadians, stare at him. Diana starts walking beside him and he asks her, "What's got the belt and suspender boys all riled up?" Diana tells him it's his doing, and that Neal was right about the security fibers. Since the formulation is still classified, the Canadian Secret Service were curious to know how Peter figured it out. Diana teases him about possibly starting an international incident. A week later, Peter meets Neal in prison and asks how he knew what the fiber was. Neal is slightly insulted and reminds Peter that it's what he does, then asks how upset the Canadians were. Peter laughs and tells him they were as upset as Canadians can get, then asks what their meeting is for. Neal tells him he knows about Peter's current case, and Peter asks how he knows about it. Neal tells him that if Peter knows a lot about him, then he knows a lot about Peter too, asking if he got the birthday cards he'd sent. Peter tells him they were a nice touch, then Neal tells Peter that he'll help him catch The Dutchman. Peter asks how he could help, and Neal presents him with a work-release brochure where he can be released into Peter's custody, to which Peter responds that he knows Neal, and that the second he's out, he'd go after Kate. Neal promises not to run and offers a solution: a tamper-proof GPS tracking anklet that's 'never been skipped on.' Peter points out that there's always a first time. When Neal asks him to 'think about it,' Peter apologizes and leaves. Neal is once more despondent at seeing his ticket out of prison walk out the door. That night, a guard is walking down the cell block when his radio cackles. The guard, Bobby, is ordered to make sure the inmates shut the lights. He tells Neal to turn his light off, and Neal asks for another minute, which Bobby congenially allows. Neal asks if it's already midnight, and Bobby confirms that it is, his tone indicating that this happened habitually. Neal sits up on his bed and looks at his wall of tally marks before adding another one. A few moments later, he swipes through them violently, drawing multiple X's over them, signifying that he's lost all those days and accidentally shattering the naked light bulb in the process. He runs his fingers through his hair and turns to the opposite wall. He makes a new mark: the start of his second four-year imprisonment, then hangs his head. Peter is sitting at his dining table, piles of papers spread out in front of him. He picks up a card with a picture of cupcake and the words "Happy Birthday" on it, presumably one that Neal had sent before. He sets it back down as a woman comes down the stairs and asks if he's 'coming to bed' as she comes up and hugs him from behind. Peter, preoccupied, absently answers yes, and she asks him what was wrong. Even as Peter answers, "Nothing," she sees the papers spread out on the table and recognizes them, commenting that she has 'been competing with Neal for three years.' Peter notes that he'd be out that day if he hadn't escaped prison, and she asks if he's considering Neal's offer, then answers her own question by stating that of course he was, otherwise Peter would be in bed with her already. She then asks if Neal can really help Peter find The Dutchman. Peter tells her, "Neal's smart. You know how much I like smart," and she jokingly asks if he's as smart as 'those Ivy League Co-eds they throw at you?' Peter answers that Neal's almost as brilliant as the woman he married.' Pleased at his answer, his wife then asks what the problem was with Neal helping out. Peter points out that there was more to Neal's situation than 'some lost love,' revealing that Peter was trying to look for 'some side angle he's playing.' His wife then points out, "So you're suggesting he escapes a maximum security prison, knowing full well that you'd catch him, just so he could trick you into letting him out again?" Chagrined, Peter tells her that it's 'a working theory.' She tells him to keep working on it, then asks if it's so hard to believe that a man would do such a thing for the woman he loves. Peter points out that Neal had bought himself four more years in prison, "for what?" His wife then asks, "If you were Neal, you wouldn't have run for me?" Speechless, Peter thinks it over once more, then makes the petition for Neal's work-release program. When Neal exits the super-max, Peter immediately asks to see the anklet to make sure that it's on. Neal shows him that he's tagged, and Peter asks him if he understands how their deal works. Neal gives him a highly summarized account of the deal, and Peter reminds him that if he escapes again, he'll catch Neal and bring him back to the super-max for good. He then addresses the Kate factor, telling Neal not to look for her. Neal tells him that the bottle meant good-bye, and Peter replies for him to 'leave it at that.' Peter also tells him that their deal is probationary, and that once they've caught the Dutchman, they can make the deal last until Neal's sentence is up. Peter brings Neal to the Empire Motel, a rundown place that Neal is not happy with. Peter tells him that his stipend is only $700 a month, and that for $700, the motel is what he can afford. He tells Neal that if he can find something better for the same price, then he can take it. He adds that there's a thrift store down the block so that Neal can buy clothes. Despite his obvious dismay at his living conditions, Neal is simply given his 'homework,' informed that Peter will come by to pick him up at 7, and left to fend for himself. He heads to the thrift store to purchase clothes and meets a woman donating her late husband's suits. Neal compliments the clothes and learns that suit was a Devore, and that the woman and her late husband Byron used to play poker with Sy Devore himself. Byron won the suit by beating Devore in a back-door draw. Intigued, Neal converses with the woman and soon discovers that she lives 'not far' from where they were, and that she had a spare guest room and a closet full of Byron's clothes. Neal either convinces her to put him up as a boarder, or she offers to do so herself. Either way, he gives up his room at the Empire Motel and moves in with the woman. Peter arrives at the motel the next morning to pick Neal up, the receptionist gives him a note from Neal, telling him that he's moved out and is living '1.6 miles away' at 87 Riverside Drive. When Peter gets to the address, he gapes at the tall manor and seemingly can't believe how Neal had talked himself into being a boarder at such a beautiful place. He knocks on the door, and a uniformed maid answers it. There, he meets a lady holding a dog and wonders briefly if he's got the wrong address before asking for Neal. The lady correctly assumes that he 'must be Peter' and informs him that Neal is upstairs. Peter opens the door to the roof, where Neal is lounging in a robe, reading a newspaper. Neal notes that he's early, and Peter tells him they've got a 'hit on Snow White ' at the airport. Neal recites what it is, showing off that he'd done his research. Peter addresses the fact that he moved, and Neal points out that it was nicer than the motel. Peter comments that the motel didn't have a view, and Neal tells him about meeting the woman, June, to whom Peter refers to as the 'lady with the dog.' Neal reminds Peter that he said if Neal found a better place for the same price he should take it. Chagrined, Peter confirms that he said that, and double-checks that the rent is still $700. Neal responds in the positive, but adds that he has to help out around the house, like washing the car and watching June's granddaughter from time to time. Peter scoffs at the idea of Neal baby-sitting, but then meets Cindy, who is a beautiful young woman. Neal explains that she's an art student, which he's clearly pleased by, and Peter sourly tells him to get dressed before sitting at the table. He asks Cindy if she minded his presence, to which she tells him to go ahead and eat, so Peter takes a few bites and sips his coffee as June joins them. He notes that 'even the freaking coffee's perfect,' making June laugh. He then tries to warn June that Neal is a felon, and June reveals that her late husband was a felon as well, which is perhaps why she had pity on Neal and took him in. Once Neal is all dressed up, he walks down the stairs and shows his outfit off to a disbelieving Peter, who tells him he looks like a cartoon after Neal twirls a hat onto his head. Offended, Neal tells him that the suit is classic Rat Pac and a Devore original. Quotes Cast *Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey *Tim DeKay as Peter Burke *Willie Garson as Mozzie *Marsha Thomason as Diana Barrigan *Tiffani Thiessen as Elizabeth Burke Guest Starring *Mark Sheppard as Curtis Hagen *Sharif Atkins as Clinton Jones *Michael Gaston as Thompson *Stephen Singer as Vincent Special Guest Star *Diahann Carroll as June Co-Starring *Neal Matarazzo as Warden Headsley *Denise Vasi as Cindy *Mike Houston as Customs Official *Arnie Burton as Tony Field *James Biberi as Gaines *Anthony Gallo as Warehouse Guard *Yogi Laser as Salvation Army Clerk *Don Kurt as Rich Man *Derek Millman as FBI Technician *Alexandra Daddario as Kate *Billy Griffith as Bobby *Reathal Bean as Priest *Lanny Flaherty as Motel Clerk Filming Locations *351 Riverside Drive *385 West St *Windsor Tower Category:Neal Category:Peter Category:Mozzie Category:Elizabeth Category:Kate Category:June Category:Diana Category:Jones Category:Season 1 Category:Episode 1x01 Category:Hagen